Exploring regionality: a chaîne opératoire approach to ‘style’ in the rock art of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Summary

Regional differences in southern African hunter-gatherer rock art have long been noted, but methods towards a rigorous definition of these regions have not been developed. Addressing a recent call for the use of style in defining rock art regions I propose a chaîne opératoire approach. Rather than focusing only on the finished product I will consider multiple factors in the production and consumption of rock art images. Instead of relying on vague notions of style, the component parts and different elements that comprise the art can be investigated. Case studies from two sites, in different regions of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, illustrate this approach and how it can be used to elucidate ideas around regionality.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage